Charter school advocate for Ed Secretary; A Democrat to Lead Transportation?; Ben Carson gears up for HUD - Politico

With help from Caitlin Emma, Michael Stratford, and Ben Weyl

CHARTER SCHOOL ADVOCATE TO LEAD EDUCATION — Betsy DeVos, a prominent school-choice activist, Republican mega-donor and philanthropist, is President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Education secretary. DeVos, a Michigan native, heads up the American Federation for Children, an organization that pushes for expanding charter schools and giving parents vouchers to allow their children to attend private schools with taxpayer money. "The status quo in ed is not acceptable," she tweeted moments after the transition team's announcement about her selection.

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This matters for education policy because: "The pick is a sign that Trump plans to pursue his campaign pledge to push for sweeping school choice, including creating a $20 billion block grant^[1] to expand charter and private school options for low-income children — almost as much as the country now spends on funding for schools serving poor kids and special education programs combined. The idea has long been championed by conservatives but has fizzled in Congress. DeVos' advocacy group helped craft his proposal," as POLITICO's Caitlin Emma and Michael Stratford write.

Immediate outcry: DeVos' selection, seen as a nod to establishment Republicans, triggered rapid and scathing criticism from teachers unions, who see Trump's choice as an effort to undermine the public education system through privatization. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said DeVos is "the most ideological, anti-public-education nominee put forward since President Carter created a Cabinet-level Department of Education." Read more on DeVos' selection here^[2].

Our takeaway: DeVos is one of the first women, along with South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, to be offered positions in the Trump administration, adding diversity to its current roster of white, older men. It is worth mentioning that DeVos is incredibly rich, hailing from a family of GOP donors. She's married to Dick DeVos, former president of the Orlando Magic NBA franchise whose father co-founded the Amway Corporation. And, she's one of several wealthy people in line for Cabinet positions.

Reading list on DeVos:

— What Betsy DeVos' appointment tells us about Trump's education plans, via Chalkbeat. ^[3]

— A long read on the DeVos family's political influence in Michigan, via Mother Jones^[4].

DRIVING THE DAY: Trump will spend the day at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. No official meetings are scheduled, but we will keep an eye out on his guests. VPE Mike Pence is planning to spend Thanksgiving in Meridian, Miss., where his son, a U.S. Marine, is stationed. Expect a Thanksgiving video message from the President-elect this afternoon.

TOMORROW: We expect a quiet day. Happy Thanksgiving!

DAYS UNTIL THE INAUGURATION: 58

Hello, and welcome to the Weekly Transition Blast newsletter, where today we're chasing news about Trump's next potential Cabinet selections. Send your tips to Nancy Cook at ncook@politico.com^[5], and Mel Leonor at mleonor@politico.com^[6], or follow us on Twitter: @nancook^[7], @MelLeonor^[8].

#DAILYDATAPOINT: So far, Donald Trump has sent out 34,022 tweets to roughly 15.8 million followers, according to his Twitter profile.

JOCKEYING FOR JOBS

— DEMOCRAT IN TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY MIX: Former Rep. Harold Ford Jr., a moderate Democrat from Tennessee, could be tapped to lead the Transportation Department — or another agency, POLITICO's Annie Karni reports^[9]. Ford endorsed and donated to Hillary Clinton's campaign, but he's close to Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner. He has not met with the president-elect. Ford represented Tennessee's 9th Congressional District for five terms and has been a managing director at Morgan Stanley since 2011. He is also a regular news analyst on MSNBC.

— CARSON GEARED UP FOR HUD: Ben Carson appears to have gotten over his concerns about being prepared to run a federal agency, as the former neurosurgeon was poised to become the president-elect's pick to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a role in which he'd oversee billions of dollars in programs aimed at improving American cities. Carson wrote on Twitter today that an announcement about a role for him in "helping to make America great again" is "forthcoming." On Facebook he added: "After serious discussions with the Trump transition team, I feel that I can make a significant contribution particularly to making our inner cities great for everyone." More^[10] from POLITICO's Matthew Nussbaum.

KEY TRANSITION PEOPLE TO KNOW — THE OMB GURUS: Trump's transition team announced a pair of experienced budget hands for its landing team at the Office of Management and Budget. Dan Kowalski, the deputy staff director of the Senate Budget Committee, and Linda Springer, a former director of the Office of Personnel Management, will help the Trump administration take over OMB.

Who are they? Kowalski has spent more than two decades shaping budget policy, mostly as a Republican aide for the Senate Budget and House Budget Committees. (He also enjoys driving at high speeds on the region's race tracks, per this January Washington Examiner interview^[11].)

Springer led the federal personnel office in the George W. Bush administration from 2005 to 2008, and ran OMB's federal financial management office for two years before that. Springer also spent 25 years working in the insurance and financial services industries.

This matters because OMB will play a crucial role in shaping Trump's early agenda, through drafting the president's first budget and implementing his regulatory priorities. Still unclear is who Trump will pick for OMB director, but a couple names we've heard are Senate Budget Committee Staff Director Eric Ueland and former GOP Sen. Tom Coburn.

WARREN AND CUMMINGS' CHAOS THEORY: Sen. Elizabeth Warren^[12] and Rep. Elijah Cummings^[13] want the Government Accountability Office to review Donald Trump's "taxpayer-funded" transition for any potential conflicts of interest or breaches of security and diplomatic protocol. In a letter to Comptroller General and GAO head Gene Dodaro, the two lawmakers bluntly call the transition "chaotic" and ask GAO to look int o concerns related to Trump's reported communications with foreign entities and his transparency in regard to use of taxpayer funds.

"To date, there has been no information released to the public indicating that Mr. Trump has prepared a blind trust," the two Democrats wrote. Noting that Congress has allocated $9.5 million in federal funding to the General Services Administration to support the transition, the duo added: "Trump's apparent conflicts of interest, and his behavior during the campaign and after his election, raise questions about the use of taxpayer funds during the transition, and about the decisions made during the transition that will affect federal government policies under the Trump Administration." Read the full letter here^[14].

Also in the letter: A plea for GAO to examine Trump's use of his personal cellphone to communicate with foreign leaders.

ICYMI: Full transcript^[15] of Trump's hour-long sit-down on Tuesday with The New York Times. Audio from parts of the meeting is here^[16].

TRANSITION 2017 Q&A WITH CLAY JOHNSON: Johnson ran the Bush-Cheney presidential transition before going on to serve as Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel and OMB Deputy Director for Management in the Bush administration. (Fun fact: He was also Bush's roommate at Yale). Now, he helps to advise^[17] incoming presidential transition teams.

Below, he talked to POLITICO's Kelsey Tamborrino about the perils of taking over the White House following a divisive election and about the recruiting process and transition work post 9/11.

On the handover of power: "You have to position yourself as not just interested in the half that elected you here — but all things related to America. ...They are looking for signs that you get that and that you are taking it seriously, that you are governing and reaching out to all the states and all the governors and not just the states that voted for you. So it's up to the candidates in large part, how quickly the wounds heal."

On how 9/11 altered presidential transitions: "There's just too much to do to prepare to govern to do it in the 70 days allowed for transition. ...The point we make to them [incoming administrations] is: What if 9/11 had occurred on 2/11? Or what if 9/11 had occurred on 1/21, the day after the inauguration? It would be unacceptable to have four or five Cabinet offers and no sub-Cabinet people, an incomplete White House, to be in place. The United States of America should never be that vulnerable to dastardly deeds."

On the type of people transition teams should recruit: "You start talking to people who have familiarity with who has served in the junior positions in those agencies in prior administrations that might be the kind of people who could take on a bigger job this time around. Or what are the people on the state level that have a lot of knowledge of that?"

TRANSITION TO CHRISTMAS: Forget about Thanksgiving — for $149, you can buy a "Make America Great Again" red cap collectible Christmas ornament^[18]. It's being sold online by the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, a joint fundraising effort of Donald Trump for President, Inc., and the Republican National Committee.

FROM THE ARCHIVES--HOLIDAY WEEKEND LONG READS:

— Profile on Gov. Nikki Haley^[19], published in POLITICO Magazine in February.

WHAT WE'RE READING

— Donald Trump, Jr., held talks on Syria with Russian supporters, The Wall Street Journal^[20].

— Inside Trump's freewheeling vetting operation, POLITICO^[21].

— What economists expect from a Donald Trump economy, The Wall Street Journal^[22].

— Clinton's lead in the popular vote surpasses 2 million, POLITICO^[23].

— Trump moves toward a more diverse cabinet, The New York Times^[24].

— Trump owes ethics exemption to George H.W. Bush, POLITICO^[25].

— Some Trump loyalists warn against Romney as secretary of state, POLITICO^[26].

— Trump's plan to cap deductions would affect few taxpayers, POLITICO^[27].

— Carson's positions on poverty create tension with rags-to-riches life story, The Washington Post^[28].

— Trump to scrap NASA climate research in crackdown on 'politicized science,' The Guardian^[29].

References

1. ^{^} $20 billion block grant (www.politico.com)
2. ^{^} here (www.politico.com)
3. ^{^} Chalkbe at (www.chalkbeat.org)
4. ^{^} Mother Jones (www.motherjones.com)
5. ^{^} ncook@politico.com (www.politico.com)
6. ^{^} mleonor@politico.com (www.politico.com)
7. ^{^} @nancook (twitter.com)
8. ^{^} @MelLeonor (twitter.com)
9. ^{^} reports (go.politicoemail.com)
10. ^{^} More (www.politico.com)
11. ^{^} interview (www.washingtonexaminer.com)
12. ^{^} Elizabeth Warren (cd.politicopro.com)
13. ^{^} Elijah Cummings (cd.politicopro.com)
14. ^{^} here (www.warren.senate.gov)
15. ^{^} transcript (www.nytimes.com)
16. ^{^} here (www.nytimes.com)
17. ^{^} advise (presidentialtransition.org)
18. ^{^} ornament (shop.donaldjtrump.com)
19. ^{^} Profile on Gov. Nikki Haley (www.politico.com)
20. ^{^} The Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com)
21. ^{^} POLITICO (www.politico.com)
22. ^{^} The Wall Street Journal (blogs.wsj.com)
23. ^{^} POLITICO (www.politico.com)
24. < sup>^ The New York Times (www.nytimes.com)
25. ^{^} POLITICO (www.politico.com)
26. ^{^} POLITICO (www.politico.com)
27. ^{^} POLITICO (www.politicopro.com)
28. ^{^} The Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com)
29. ^{^} The Guardian (www.theguardian.com)